Braai broodjie? Or side broodjie?

As per some of my previous posts, having a Braai (or BBQ) in South Africa is quite a huge thing to us. We love spending time around the fire, reminisce around stories, joking away and obviously enjoying lovely eats and treats from the table close by. When having a Braai, there are always an array of side dishes to compliment the main feature of the social gathering, which is of course the grilled meat.

One thing most people enjoy is a grilled sandwich that is filled with onion, tomato and cheese, grilled on the fire and oh boy, when you start eating it, the braaibroodjie (yes, that’s what we call it in Afrikaans) oozes cheesy goodness that exceeds all expectation. Well, I have never had a bad braaibroodjie, but some love it and some loves it less. So if braaibroodjies are not your thing, how about a good side broodjie on the table? I have a good broodjie you can whip up, where everyone can slice a piece of it, spread some good butter on it and enjoy. Good, easy, simple and delicious. Here goes:

Get some lovely bread dough from you local supermarket. Dust your surface with some flower, using a rolling pin, roll out the dough in a rectangular(ish) shape.

Spread some crushed garlic and a bit of olive oil on the rolled out dough and spice to your heart’s content.

Now you can add some lovely goodies to this, sundried tomatoes, olives, capers, onion, salami, chorizo or ham. Anything you like really. Just make sure that the ingredients you add here is drained and not watery. Add some cheese, because why? Because you CAN!

Roll it up very carefully and put it in a greased bread pan. You can score the top of the bread in what fashion you like and pop it into the pre heated oven. (180 degrees celsius) for 1 hour until it’s golden brown on top.

Take it out and coat the bread with butter to give it a lovely glossy feel. Let it rest (if you have the strength to resist).

Slice away and serve. This is a sure winner!

So next time you are having friends over for a weekend braai and don’t know what to serve as a side or just to enjoy as a precursor to the feast, whip up this bad boy and have the spoils of their gratitude! You are welcome, don’t clap, just throw money!